Rotary steam-engine



5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

A. B. BULLOCK.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

Patented Jan 31, 1888.

Inventor: JilansomBlhdlock by W flllorney.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sl1eet 2. A. B. BULLOCK.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE. No. 377,143. a Patented Jan. 31, 1888.

(No Model.) 7

A B BULLOCK. 5Sheets Sheet 3.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE. No. 877,143. Patented Jan. 31, 1888.

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' ROTARY STEAM ENGINE. No. 377,143. Patented. Jan. 31, 1888.

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A. B. BULLOCK.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

No; 377,143. Patented Jan. 31, 1888.

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ALANSON B. BULLOCK, OF CANTON, ll'IASSACHUSETTS.

ROTARY STEAIVFENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,143. dated January31, 1888.

Application filed May 23, 1887. Serial No. 239,071. (No model.)

T0 (6 whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALANSON B. BULLOCK, of Canton, in the county ofXorfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Rotary Steam- Engines, of which the following, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to rotary steam engines; and it consists in certainnovel features of construction, arrangement, and combination of parts,whichwill be readily understood by reference to the description of thedrawings, and to the claims to be hereiuaftergiven.

Figure 1 of the drawings is an end elevation of an engine illustratingmy invention, with one of its heads removed and the shaft shown insection. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same with the reversing-valve and thevalve-chest cover removed. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on line x mon Fig. 1. Fig. i is a transverse section on line y y on Figs. 2 and 3.Fig. 5 is a similar section on line 2 z on Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 6 is alongitudinal sectional elevation of one of the rotary piston-abutments,the cutting plane being on line '0 e on Fig. 4; and Fig. 7 is aplan ofthe wedge for adjusting the piston abutment rolls and the screw foroperating the same.

In the drawings, A is the steamcylinder, provided with the steam-portsa, a, a, and a", leading to the inletpassages b, b, I)", and I), andwith the exhaust-port 0, leading to the dischargeoritice c, in which anexhaust-pipe (not shown) is to be screwed to convey the exhaust'steam toany desired point. The interior 0f the steanrcylinder A has formedtherein two dovetailed grooves extending longitudinally thereof, inwhich are secured in fixed positions the inwardly-projecting gear-teeth(Z (I, said teeth being arranged upon opposite sides of the axis orcenter of the cylinder, as shown. Said cylinder is also provided withtwo rectangular grooves, c c, of considerable depth, arrangedequidistant from the teeth (I d and directly opposite to each other,which grooves extend longitudinally ofsaid cylinder, and have fittedtherein, so as to be adjustable toward and from the center of saidcylinder, the abutmentsff, the inner edges of which may have mountedtherein a rolhf, as shown in Fig. 4, or be simply rounded, as shown inFig. 5.

B is a shaft mounted in bearings formed in the heads A A of the cylinderA, so as to be revoluble therein, the head A being provided with astuffing-box, A, through which the shaft B projects to any desireddistance, and may have secured thereon a pulley for transmitting power;or a screw-propeller may be mounted on said projecting shaft in awellknown manner.

G is the main body of the piston, firmly se cured to the shaft B andhaving bolted to its ends the heads 0', having diameters somewhatgreater than the interior diameter of the cylinder, said heads beingfittod to and revolving in an annular enlargement of said cylinder A, asshown in Fig. 3.

D, D, and D are revoluble piston-abutments mounted in bearings in theheads O,and each having firmly secured upon one end of its shaft,outside of the head 0, a toothed pinion, E, which engages with the teethof an internal or ring gear, F, secured in a fixed position between thehead A and an annular shoulder formed in the cylinder, as shown in Fig.3.

G- is a ring secured in a fixed position between the head A and anannular shoulder formed in the cylinder A,and serves to aid in packingthe piston-head.

Each of the piston-abutments D, D, and D" has formed therein alongitudinal groove, 9, extending inward to theaxis of said abutment,and having a semicircular bottom, as shown, said groove serving toreceive the teeth'd d and the abutments ffinsuocession as the piston isrevolved, it being understood that the diameters of the piston-abutmentrolls are such that they will each make four complete revolutions toeach revolution of the piston and its shaft. Each piston-abutment rollD, D, and D" has its periphery fitted to a semicircular concavity orseat formed in a bar, H, which extends from end to end of the main bodyofthe piston O, and is fitted to a rectangular groove formed in saidpiston, so as to be adjustable radially therein by means of the wedge h,fitted in the bottom of said groove beneath said bar, the bottom ofwhich is inclined to fit said wedge, as shown in Fig. 3. The wedge hismoved eudwise by means of the screwi, having a collar,i, upon its innerend, which fits a T-shaped groove in the end of the wedge, as shown inFig. 7. A steam-chest, I, is bolted to the valve-seat of thecylinder,and 5 is provided with the cover I and the threaded hub J, towhich is to be coupled the steamsupply pipe. (Not shown.)

K is a slide-valve fitted to said valve-seat, and arranged to cover theexhaust-ports, as shown, and connected to the inner end of thevalve-stem L, by which and any suitable mechanism (not shown) said valvemaybe moved to the opposite end of the steam chest when it is desired toreverse the rotation of the enr 5 ginc,as would be necessary if used fordriving a screw-propeller.

When the ports a and a and passages 12 and b are used for the admissionof steam with the valve in the position shown in the drawings, the portsa and a? and passages?) and b are used for the discharge of theexhauststeam; but if the valve be moved to the opposite end of thesteam-chest the steam will enter the cylinder through the ports a and aand passages b and b and will escape through the passages b b and portsa, a, and c, and the revolution of the piston and shaft will bereversed. v

Any desired number of cylinder-abutments f, teeth d, and rotarypiston-abutments D, from one upward, may be used, though I prefer aneven number of cylinder abutments f and teeth at and an odd number ofthe piston-abutments D, for the reason that ,by such an ar- 3 5rangementI avoid dead-points.

It will be observed that the two passages which admit steam to thecylinder at the same time enter the cylinder uponvopposite sides of thecylinder, one above the abutment f and 0 the other below it, as shown inthe drawings.

The valve K, besides being used for reversing the revolution of thepiston, may be also used for stopping the revolution of the piston bymoving it to a central position to cover all 5 the ports and shutoff thesupply of steam to the cylinder. What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In combination with a steam -cylinder provided with both steam andexhaust ports upon opposite sides thereof, a revolving piston-body ofless diameter than the bore of said cylinder, two'cylinder-abutmentsbridging the annular space between said piston-bodyand cylinder upon theopposite sides of the axis of said piston, two inwardly-projectingrib-like teeth set in said cylinder upon the opposite sides of the axisof revolution of the piston and equidistant from said non-revolvingabutments, but not bridgingthe annular space between the piston-body andcylinder, and a plurality of revoluble piston-abutments mounted inbearings in the piston-heads and revolving therewith at the same timethat they revolve about their own axes, and each provided with alongitudinal groove to engage in succession with each of saidnon-revolving abutments, and inwardly-projecting rib-like teeth,substantially as described.

2. In combination with a fixed steam-cylinder provided with both steamand exhaust ports upon each of two opposite sides thereof, the revolublepiston body 0, provided with the heads 0, the cyliuder-abutments ff, theteeth d d, the revoluble piston-abutments D, D, and D each provided withthe groove 9 and mounted in bearings in the heads 0, the.

pinions E, the'intern'al gear F, and the shaft B, all constructed,arranged, and adapted to operate substantially as described.

3. The combination of the cylinder A, the revolving piston-body 0,provided with the heads 0, the eylinder-abutments f f, the fixed teeth(1 d, the revoluble piston-abutments D, D, and D each provided with thelongitudinal groove the semicircularly grooved bar H, the wedge h, andthe screw 1;.

subscribing witnesses, on this 19th day of May,

ALANSON B. BULLOCK.

Witnesses:

N. G. LOMBARD, WALTER E. LOMBARD.

